What Collier-Lee congressional candidates say about U.S. health-care ruling

Here is what Collier and Lee congressional candidates say about the U.S. Supreme Court's health-care ruling on Thursday. These are the candidates for the seat that U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fort Myers, is vacating in his run for the U.S. Senate.

* * * * *

"I believe the president's health-care law gives too much power to Washington. The federal government shouldn't be allowed to force health care that may or may not be right for individuals and their doctors ... This law is unaffordable and it limits choices for patients and their doctors. The solution is not a trillion-dollar government takeover. The solution is to give customers and health-care providers more power, more control and more choices."

_ Gary Aubuchon, R-Cape Coral

* * * * *

"It was a win for conservative constitutional principles. To me it has absolutely nothing to do with health care or taxes, but the future of the constitutional principles of America. The tax code is too Draconian to continue much longer. By safeguarding the commerce clause and the necessary and proper clause, and relegating this to a tax, it was brilliant. It takes a different kind of leader to move the country in the right direction. Ultimately, (Chief Justice Roberts) has done the country a service."

_ Joe Davidow, R-Naples

* * * * *

"The Supreme Court failed to do its duty and upheld an unconstitutional piece of legislation that erodes the individual liberty of the American people. Washington must be restrained if we are going to have a free and prosperous America and it will take citizen legislators to confine the federal government to its enumerated role under the Constitution. Despite this major setback, we the people must once again make our voices heard so that it is crystal clear that we are the sovereign and government is the subject."

_ Byron Donalds, R-Naples, in a statement on Facebook

* * * * *

"It will end up breaking the government. It takes the private insurance market that we know today and dismantles it. That's not right. We need to reform it."

_ Chauncey Goss, R-Sanibel

* * * * *

"They have ruled it constitutional. It still doesn't make good public policy. The law was not properly vetted and was pushed through Congress. We need to preserve as many market forces as possible because they work. When you have things produced according to government specifications and mandates you don't get as decent a product that people are happy with."

_ Paige Kreegel, R-Punta Gorda

* * * *

"The Supreme Court's terrible decision to uphold the individual mandate within Obamacare makes it more important than ever for us to send real conservatives to Congress to fix the mess our president has put us in. The Supreme Court upheld the individual mandate as a ‘tax.' President Obama is now taxing every American in an economy with less than 2 percent growth."

_ Trey Radel, R-Fort Myers

* * * * *

"It's nice that the Supreme Court got past the barrage of misinformation that has been circulating in emails and political circles. It's good for the country and makes health care better."

_ Jim Roach, D-Cape Coral

* * * * *

"The individual mandate, however, is not ideal. We'd be better off with a single payer system. I believe it is essential that we not be too proud to borrow ideas from other countries that are proven to be working, in order to fix our own."